Washington State
House of Representatives
Office of Program Research
BILL
ANALYSIS
Education Committee
ESSB 5004
Brief Description: Updating emergency response systems in public schools including panic or alert buttons.
Sponsors: Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education (originally sponsored by Senators Torres, Christian, Dozier, Harris, Krishnadasan, McCune, Salomon, Schoesler and Wilson, J.).
Brief Summary of Engrossed Substitute Bill
  • Requires emergency response systems of school districts, charter schools, and state-tribal education compact schools to include specified technology and be developed in accordance with collaboration requirements.
  • Requires the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to report to the Legislature data on the emergency response systems.
Hearing Date: 3/5/25
Staff: Damian Morden-Snipper (786-7296) and Ethan Moreno (786-7386).
Background:

School districts, in collaboration with local law enforcement agencies and school security personnel, are required to develop emergency response systems using evolving technology to expedite law enforcement responses when there is a threat or emergency at a school.  In developing the emergency response systems, school districts are encouraged to use model policies developed by the School Safety Center in the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction as a resource.
Summary of Bill:

Emergency response system requirements for school districts are modified and extended to charter schools and state-tribal education compact schools (STECs).  The emergency response systems must be developed in collaboration with local law enforcement agencies, public safety answering points, and specified safety and security staff.  Provisions encouraging school districts to use model policies of the School Safety Center when developing the response systems are removed.

 

Emergency response systems must include at least one of the following components:

  • panic or alert buttons to school administration, school district staff, and emergency responders;
  • live video or audio feed that law enforcement, the school district, and the school can access;
  • remote control access to doors; or
  • live interactive two-way communications.

 

School districts, charter schools, and STECs must report their progress implementing emergency response systems to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) by October 1, 2025.  The OSPI must report to the Legislature by December 1, 2025, the types of emergency response systems school districts, charter schools, and STECs are using.

 

A short title is included specifying that the act may be known and cited as Alyssa's Law.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.